Digital Commons Network^™

Simulation Of Post-Tensioned Clt Rocking Wall And Platform Structure Response Under Earthquake Lateral Loads With Simplified Equivalent Model, Yunxiang Ma, Qingli Dai, Da Huang, Miaomiao Li, Xiang Zhao

Michigan Tech Publications

The post-tensioned cross-laminated timber (CLT) rocking wall is a recently developed resilient CLT lateral force-resisting system with a self-centering feature. The structural responses of the systems with different designs need to be determined and evaluated efficiently to promote the development and standardization of industrial applications. This study developed a computationally efficient, component-assembled numerical model for post-tensioned cross-laminated timber (PT CLT) rocking walls that captures decompression, post-tension self-centering, and energy dissipation within a framework. The single wall model was assembled using nonlinear zero-length springs for the compression at the CLT bottom, truss bar element for the PT tendon, and elastic shell …

Investigating Affordable Indoor Mobile Lidar Sensing For Bim-Based Facility Management: A Usability And Condition Sensitivity Study, Amr Mousa, Ahmed Elyamany, Mohamed Nabawy

Civil Engineering

This paper analyzes how capture parameters affect indoor mobile LiDAR scan fitness for-purpose for BIM-based facilities management. Despite extensive research on geometric accuracy and automated modelling performance, limited work has systematically examined how acquisition conditions influence the practical usability of raw scans for BIM/FM applications. A controlled experimental investigation used an Apple iPhone 16 Pro's integrated LiDAR sensor to capture 36 indoor scans under twelve factorial combinations of scan speed, illumination level, and motion pattern. Each condition was repeated three times. Usability was assessed using several components,Fco a gate-based pass/fail criterion, enclosure geometry, openings, ceiling services, and geometric clarity using …

Sorption And Thermal Conductivity Of Concrete Containing Aggregates Of E-Waste, Rakesh Kumar Saini, Praveen Kumar

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

In many parts of the world, substantial energy is used to maintain comfortable temperatures in inner parts of the buildings for living and working. Construction materials with low thermal conductivity, if used in the exterior walls and façade etc. in such structures can be useful in lowering the energy demand. On the other hand, moisture ingress through sorption is a common factor contributing in degradation of concrete structures with time. Constituents of concrete may be engineered to some extent to get both the desired attributes, lower thermal conductivity and sorption than normal concrete. The rapid increase in electronic waste, or …

Land-Use Intensity Of U.S. Wastewater Treatment Facilities By Secondary Process, Robert B. Sowby, Chandler W. Johnson

ScholarsArchive Data

1. Excel workbook of sample data

2. Shapefile of sample site

3. Shapefile of site areas

Incorporating Sustainable Strategies And Practices Into The City Improvements Plan Of Madisonville, Kentucky To Better Suit It For The Changing World, Cade R. Howell

Honors College Theses

This project aims to make the case for city improvements in Madisonville, Kentucky by using successful strategies implemented by other cities across the region. These strategies include sidewalk improvements, the installation of roundabouts and parking garages, increased walkability and beautification, and a restructuring of the types of cars predominantly used in the area. The strategies would be implemented from least expensive to most expensive, and in a way that gets the communities involved as much as possible. By using these strategies, Madisonville can better prepare itself for a more sustainable future.

Optimizing Copper Slag As A Sustainable Precursor For Iron Phosphate Cement: Hydration Mechanism, Phase Transformation, And Environmental Safety, Wei Wang, Hongyan Ma, Xiunan Cai, Dan Luo, Zhicheng Xu, Zhongqiu Luo, Xintao Zhou

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Iron-rich copper slag (CS) has significant potential as a precursor for the synthesis of sustainable acid-base cement (AB). However, the roles and transformation behaviors of the diverse iron phases in CS during hydration remain unclear. In this study, the preparation conditions, early hydration behavior, transformation processes of iron components, and environmental safety of CS-based iron phosphate cement (CS-IPC) were systematically investigated. Under optimized conditions, with a CS/ADP mass ratio of 3.0 and a grinding time of 1.5 h, CS-IPC exhibited an initial setting time of 27.6 min and a flowability of approximately 159 mm. After curing for 3 and 28 …

Response Surface Modelling And Multi-Objective Optimisation Of Asphalt Binder And Mixture Properties Modified With Reclaimed Automotive Lubricants And Waste Glass Bottle Powder, Nura Shehu Aliyu Yaro, Jacob Adedayo Adedeji, Luvuno Nkosinathi Jele, Nasir Khan, Aliyu Usman, Jacob Olumuyiwa Ikotun

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

Large volumes of reclaimed automotive lubricant (RAL) and waste glass bottle powder (WGBP) are disposed of inappropriately, causing serious environmental concerns. Furthermore, the paradigm shift towards sustainability in the pavement industry has prompted academics to investigate alternatives to conventional materials. As a result, one possible approach is to use these waste products as alternative materials in the asphalt pavement sector. This study investigated the combined use of RAL and WGBP as complementary modifiers, extending beyond the conventional single-modifier approaches reported in previous studies. Thus, in this study, response surface methodology (RSM) was utilised to optimise and predict the synergistic effects …

Quantitative Assessment Of Cybersecurity Risk Variability Across Transportation Modes, Paulo Carreon

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Transportation systems are increasingly dependent on digital technologies, networked communications, and cyber-physical integration, making cybersecurity an important issue for operational continuity, resilience, and safety. Although cybersecurity risks in transportation are widely recognized, much of the existing research remains mode-specific and lacks a standardized quantitative framework for comparing risk across transportation systems. This study develops a quantitative, incident-based approach for assessing cybersecurity risk variability across four major transportation modes: Aviation, Maritime, Rail, and Road. The study is based on a manually constructed dataset of 189 publicly reported transportation cybersecurity incidents collected from 2000 to 2025. Each incident was coded into structured …

Structural Design And Analysis Of The Civil Engineering Capstone Project, William R. Webster

Honors Theses

The structural elements of a office building designed for the University of Mississippi civil engineering senior design project were designed and analyzed. The proposed building is a shared office building located on an empty parcel on Oxford Commons Boulevard. Using the 2018 International Building Code (IBC), the structural loads were determined to be the following: 20 psf roof live load, 20 psf dead load, 20 psf snow load, and 15.6 psf rain load. These loads yielded a factored LRFD design load of 56 pdf. Using these loads and manuals provided by Nucor Vulcraft, the roof deck was determined to be …

Inconsistencies Emerge Between Regional And Local-Scale Water Security Metrics At Military Installations, Abigail Birnbaum, Michael L. Berg, Caitlin Grady, Daniel J. Weeks, Christopher M. Chini

Faculty Publications

Recent United States federal policy for military installations has emphasized the importance of developing a standardized approach for water security assessment to monitor changes in water resources and the ability for an installation to meet both its civilian and mission needs. For military installations in the United States, these assessments must consider demands both inside and outside the installation’s fence line, as regional resources are required to meet mission readiness. Focusing on physical water scarcity, this study compares four water security metrics with unique formulations and spatial resolutions, including an installation-scale metric and multiple regional metrics defined for either baseline …

Steel Corrosion In Underground Transportation Infrastructure, Amr M. Morsy, Islam A. Ebo, Shiv K. Janardhanan

Mineta Transportation Institute

Corrosion of buried steel, a critical component of American transportation infrastructure, remains one of the most insidious challenges due to the uncertainty associated with its estimates. Predicting when and how this corrosion happens is very difficult. This uncertainty grows exponentially with time, making corrosion estimation in the long term even more challenging, especially with buried steel and steel structures, which cannot even be monitored visually. While significant advancement has been made to understand the effect of the various corrosion parameters on soil corrosivity, there is a lack of a comprehensive understanding of how these factors collectively contribute to corrosion as …

Performance Evaluation Of Recycled Aged Rubber Modified Asphalt Mixtures With Soybean Oil Rejuvenator, Kwadwo Ampadu Boateng, Meng Wu, Dongzhao Jin, Dayo Sunkami Olatunde, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications

This study evaluates the performance of recycled, long-term-aged rubber-modified asphalt (RMA) mixtures rejuvenated with soybean oil. Crumb rubber is widely used in asphalt mixtures for its ability to enhance elasticity, crack resistance, and durability. However, long-term aging leads to oxidative hardening, increased stiffness, and reduced cracking resistance, creating a need for effective rejuvenation strategies. To simulate extended field aging, plant-produced RMA mixtures were conditioned at 85 °C for five and ten days and subsequently treated with 10% soybean oil by binder weight. Mechanical performance was assessed using the Disc-Shaped Compact Tension test, Indirect Tensile Asphalt Cracking Test, Hamburg Wheel Tracking …

Design Of Air-Entrained Concrete For Airport Pavements Through Local Aggregate Utilization: Performance Optimization And Economic Analysis, Li Wentao, Rizwan Qadir, Arslan Mushtaq, Hilal Khan, Kamran Jillani

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

Airport pavement construction in developing countries faces critical challenges balancing international performance standards with economic constraints, while limited research exists on optimizing air-entrained concrete mixes using locally sourced materials for cost-effective solutions. This study investigated the development of economical air-entrained concrete mix designs for airport pavements utilizing Pakistani aggregates and systematic cement content optimization. Comprehensive experimental evaluation included material characterization through petrographic analysis, alkali-aggregate reactivity assessment via accelerated mortar bar testing, and mechanical property development across cement contents from 360-450 kg/m3. Air entrainment was achieved through controlled admixture dosing while maintaining target slump of 50mm. Results demonstrated that locally sourced …

Extracting Wildfire Influence From Natural Streamflow Variability To Inform Post-Fire Peak Flow Predictions, Haley Anne Canham

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Wildfire is a natural process, however, wildfire occurrence, severity, and size is increasing globally along with large storms. Despite the expectation that floods will be larger after wildfire, a large range in post-fire flood size has been observed. This creates challenges for emergency managers to prepare for flooding in areas where wildfire might occur. Aside from wildfire, many other factors influence the size of floods, making it difficult to isolate the influence of wildfire. This work finds that factors including wetter versus drier years and seasons can alter the size of a flood, effectively hiding the influence of wildfire. Additionally, …

Spatial And Seasonal Concentrations Of Atmospheric Halogens Around The Great Salt Lake (2023/2024), Himalaya Sapkota

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

The Great Salt Lake (GSL), located in northern Utah, is one of the world's saltiest lakes and an essential resource for industry. It is also a significant hotspot for halogen emissions, including chlorine (Cl) and bromine (Br) from both natural and human sources. Although their concentrations in the atmosphere are low, they influence tropospheric chemistry by forming criteria pollutants such as ozone and particulate matter. These pollutants are detrimental to air quality, impacting public health and property. This study investigates the spatial and seasonal variability of halogen species (gas- and particulate-phase of Cl and Br) in the Northern Wasatch Front …

Development Of A Laboratory Apparatus For Evaluating Infiltration Performance Of Filter Strips In Utah, Pranish Dahal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Stormwater from Utah’s roadways often carries pollutants such as oil, metals, and sediments, especially during small storms when runoff is not diluted. Vegetated filter strips—areas of soil and vegetation placed alongside roads—are one of the most effective ways to capture and clean this runoff before it reaches rivers and lakes. However, choosing the right combination of topsoil and base soil for these filter strips is difficult, expensive, and traditionally requires multiple field visits.

This thesis introduces a laboratory device that allows engineers to test how different soil combinations absorb and filter water without having to go to the field each …

A Maintenance-Aware Machine Learning Framework For Network-Level Highway Pavement Condition Prediction, Jin Hwan Kim, Guk Gon Song, Youngguk Seo

Faculty Articles

This study develops and validates maintenance-aware machine learning models for predicting the Highway Pavement Condition Index (HPCI) on the Korean expressway network. Multiple regression and tree-based models were trained and tested using the pavement condition surveys archived in the Highway Pavement Management System (HPMS). A stacking regressor that integrates random forest, gradient boosting, and extreme gradient boosting as base learners exhibited the most robust predictions. Performance metrics indicated that the stacking ensemble achieved a mean absolute error of 0.21, a root mean square error of 0.31, and a coefficient of determination exceeding 0.73 on the testing dataset. Also, the residuals …

Analysis Of Potential Alkali Reactivity Of Aggregates In Arkansas, Brigita Dowling

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) is a deleterious chemical reaction in concrete that leads to the deterioration of concrete structures. This reaction occurs between minerals present in aggregates and alkalis in the cement, and produces a gel-like substance called alkali silicate gel. Gradually, these gels absorb water from the environment and expand, leading to internal stresses in the concrete. This damage results in expansion, cracking, and deformation, reducing the strength and durability of the concrete significantly. While this damage appears minor initially, eventually they can lead to the need for costly repairs or replacement of the concrete. ASR has been observed …

Chloronitramide Anion Yields During Monochloramine Formation: Impact Of Reagent Addition Order, Ph, And Mixing, Barrett E. Johnson, Julian L. Fairey, Jason A. Thornhill

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chloronitramide anion was recently identified as a decomposition product of inorganic chloramines. Tap‑water concentrations > 300 μg/L reported in a recent study prompted this investigation of chloronitramide anion during monochloramine formation under conditions relevant to drinking water treatment plants. As monochloramine is formed by mixing free chlorine with free ammonia, the impacts of pH, reagent mixing intensity, and reagent addition order were assessed on monochloramine and chloronitramide anion yields. Jar tests were conducted in distilled deionized water at target pH levels of 7 and 9 under rapid, slow, and no‑mixing conditions, with alternating reagent order addition and a target monochloramine dose …

Uav Blast Load Characterization For Structural Design, Jalee Grace Spain

Civil Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

As the use of drones, or UAVs, increases, so does the risk of collision with infrastructure. When drones collide with a building, an impact or blast load is applied. Using current literature and structural analysis, a load case can be defined for a blast load induced by a drone.

Adsorption Of Pfas On Bridged Functionalized Organosilica Materials, Elisha Lawerh Kabutey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

PFAS are hazardous contaminants that have a devastating impact on human health and the environment. Their hazardous nature has led to the development of various adsorption methods for removing these contaminants from water sources. In this study, functionalized organosilica materials were synthesized from bis[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl] amine using the sol-gel method. The surface amino groups of the organosilica were converted into amine hydrochloride groups. Their adsorption properties were evaluated using salts of perfluorooctanoic acid, perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, and perfluorobutanesulfonic acid. Results showed excellent adsorption capacity of the materials. Adsorption of PFAS leads to particle agglomeration and flotation of the spent material. A column …

Capacity Reduction Factors For Steel Beam Ends With Holes, Kevin Saleh Makubuli

Masters Theses

The presence of holes at steel beam ends can decrease the nominal resistance (capacity) of beam ends. Codes such as AASHTO LRFD and AISC include equations for evaluating the nominal resistance of steel beam ends. While these equations are appropriate for as-designed beam ends, they may not apply to deteriorated beam ends, such as those with holes. Thus, this study aims to develop procedures to calculate the capacity of steel beam ends with holes. First, the FEA of an as-designed beam is performed for capacity evaluation (numerical result). The latter is compared with the analytical result (as-designed beam capacity) to …

Freshwater Mussel Reintroduction And Recolonization Habitat Modeling Using Hydraulic, Sediment And Geomorphic Parameters, Megan Elizabeth Dinicola

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Freshwater mussels are an important group of aquatic animals that live within the riverbed, but their populations have been drastically reduced by habitat alteration and other anthropogenic activities. In an effort to bolster populations, river managers and biologists are using mussel reintroductions as part of their restoration efforts but there are gaps in our understanding of where to reintroduce mussels within a river to see them create self-sustaining populations. This research helps shrink this gap by better understanding the physical habitat needs and population expansion potential of subadult freshwater mussels, or the size of mussel that hatcheries grow for reintroduction, …

Developing Fragility Curves For Steel Special Moment-Resisting Frames In Utah, Olivia P. Murphy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Major seismic events along the Wasatch Fault represent a serious threat to Utah's residents and built environment. Engineers currently rely on a statistical approach that calculates earthquake ground shaking based on probabilities of various events occurring over extended time periods. This method informs how strong new buildings must be constructed. However, many structural engineering professionals in Utah worry that this probability-based approach may significantly underestimate the actual ground shaking compared to an alternative method that examines the largest possible earthquake a fault can generate. The substantial differences between the two analytical approaches raise fundamental concerns about whether existing construction standards …

Optimization Of The Baffle Geometry Of A Circular Culvert Outlet Structure To Maximize Energy Dissipation, Kiarash Shirmahi

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

High-velocity flow at culvert outlets can lead to significant soil erosion and damage to downstream infrastructure, particularly in agricultural regions where land protection is critical. Circular culverts, commonly used in transportation systems, are especially susceptible to this issue due to flow acceleration caused by geometric constraints and installation angles. Despite extensive research on energy dissipation in rectangular culverts, limited attention has been given to circular configurations. This study addresses this gap by evaluating the hydraulic performance of baffle systems designed to reduce outlet energy in circular culverts.

A series of laboratory experiments was conducted using a scaled physical model of …

An Evaluation Of Leading Indicators In The Construction Industry And Their Relationship With Incident Rates, Kitti Miller Whalen

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Improving safety programs has been a focus of organizations for decades. Historically, focus has been directed towards lagging indicators such as recordable incident rates and experience modification rate (EMR). While these remain beneficial, they are only one component of the broader framework. In recent years, companies have started to examine what occurs prior to an incident, which are known as leading indicators. The research into leading indicators is promising, however research into the area is limited. The focus of this study is to identify which leading indicators are most strongly associated with improved incident rates in the construction industry specifically. …

2026 Workshop On Bridging The Gaps: Tackling Microplastics And Nanoplastics Challenges In Coastal Ecosystems, Shenghua Wu, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran, Melike Dizbay-Onat, Alexandra Stenson, Jinhui Wang, Tina Miller-Way, Ebenezer Nyadjro, Bhuvnesh Bharti, John Weinstein, Yi Bao, Shihui Shen, Valerie Longa, Shenghua Zha, John Cleary, Marty Lind

Workshops

This report presents the findings from the 2026 Workshop on Tackling Microplastics and Nanoplastics (MNPs) in Coastal Ecosystems, which took place in Mobile, Alabama. More than 140 experts from universities, government, industry, and community organizations gathered to address the increasing issue of MNPs in coastal regions.

Behavior Of A Mildly Skewed Network Tied-Arch Bridge During Construction And Early Service Life, Harsha Amunugama

Dissertations

This dissertation work investigated the structural performance of the 2nd Avenue Bridge in Detroit, Michigan, the first skewed, unbraced network tied-arch bridge in the U.S. The 245-ft long, 96.5-ft wide bridge features an 18-degree skew. The bridge was constructed using accelerated bridge construction (ABC) techniques, including off-site fabrication at a bridge staging area (BSA) and installation via self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) and lateral launching, enabling the completion of construction with minimal disruptions to I-94 traffic and improved safety.

Given the unique structural configuration of the bridge, the use of innovative construction techniques, and differences observed in structural responses predicted by …

An Investigation Of The Restrained Expansion Behavior Of Bcsa And Sbcsa Concretes And Their Chemical Prestress Potential, Adhish Paudel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Belitic calcium sulfoaluminate (BCSA) cement, an alternative cement, is increasingly used in the United States for its fast-setting and rapid strength gain characteristics, particularly for rapid pavement construction and repair. In addition, BCSA exhibits some early age expansion when moist cured due to the formation of ettringite. Under restrained conditions, expansive cements can be used to generate chemical prestress in reinforced concrete or to offset prestress losses in prestressed concrete. This study investigates the restrained expansion of concrete made from traditional BCSA and a new BCSA cement formulation intended to provide increased initial expansion behavior. Concrete samples were tested using …

Assessing Diffusive Gradients In Thin Films Passive Samplers For Pfas Quantitation In Aqueous Systems, Brianna Harris

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) passive samplers are an alternative to grab sampling for quantifying time-weighted average (TWA) concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in aqueous systems. DGTs may enable long-term PFAS site characterization in a more time and cost-effective manner compared to grab sampling, but critical information is lacking in PFAS diffusion coefficient (DGel) uncertainty, PFAS quantitation limits, and environmental impacts on DGT performance. This work provides a thorough evaluation of DGT performance for a suite of 32 PFAS through (i) determining gel-layer PFAS diffusion coefficients and their associated error (i.e., 95 % confidence intervals (CIs)), (ii) assessing …